2019 Maxfli Tour and Tour X Golf Balls

[mpatrickriley]

When the Maxfli Tour and Tour X ball testing was announced, we were looking for six testers for the Tour and another six for the Tour X. In an awesome surprise, Maxfli decided to give each of the 12 testers a dozen of both balls! This is a great opportunity to compare two balls that performed well in the MGS Most Wanted Ball testing.

In this thread, our 12 reviewers will be posting their impressions throughout the review process, eventually summarizing everything in a main review post in the days ahead. Got a question for them? Want them to test something specific about the ball? Just ask!

Our testers for this review are:

@03trdblack @Maltenator @revkev @fozcycle @the_hammer @jddaigneault @SteddyGolf @DrMJG @golfinnut @gbtrsc @J.B. TexasEx and @fixyurdivot

Follow along and join in the conversation now. When the reviewers post their comprehensive reviews, we'll put links to them in this post here.

[03trdblack]

Been playing the Tour ball for some time and am now getting to test the X version along side of it.  Early in testing so far but I can definitely say there is one I prefer more so far!

[JohnSmalls]

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

[fixyurdivot]

A HUGE SHOUTOUT to Maxfli and MGS for this opportunity!  Rob sent us testers teasing IM's about some decisions made regarding our soon to be arriving balls.  Principally that Maxfli chose to send us a dozen each!  This was a nice bonus, but perhaps more important, at least in my case, is that the one I originally chose to test isn't, at least thus far, turning out to be my best fit.  It really is nice having both model balls to evaluate.  The other secret bonus he teased us on, and that the test group had some fun exchanges guessing what that was, is that MaxFli personalized our balls .

In addition to some salt bath balance/CG testing I've completed, I've been able to play two rounds of 2-Ball, hitting these side by side.  Thus far, I like them... one a little more than the other.  I'll share more on this as we roll along.  Let me know if you have questions.

[JohnSmalls]

2 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

In addition to some salt bath balance/CG testing

How does the CG/balancing "line up" with the CG marking that is printed on the ball?

[fixyurdivot]

4 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

In my case yes, quite similar to Pro V1, V1x, and Chromesoft I typically play.  My first round with these at Bridger Creek (Bozeman), I had a serious case of the shorties on my approach and chips.  On several holes, I threw down a Pro V1 or Chromesoft from the same spot and they were short too.  Just one of those operator error days. 

[fixyurdivot]

On 10/23/2019 at 8:53 AM, JohnSmalls said:

How does the CG/balancing "line up" with the CG marking that is printed on the ball?

So in a nutshell, these balls are very well balanced.  Of the 24 balls, all but one floated to a different high point in the salt bath. The one outlier wasn't off that much - just not as random as the others.  I rolled/spun each ball 5x and marked the high spot.  That mark was always in a different place.  That being the case, the OEM mark can essentially be placed anywhere.  I'd love to know if Maxfli does a balancing test on each ball or is simply controlling the mfg. process such that they have statistical confidence that all will be very well balanced.  I say very well because I think it unlikely "perfectly balanced" is attainable.  Also would like to know if Maxfli does any kind of test that does dictate where the "alignment stripe" is positioned.  I'll share more specifics, pictures and video of the salt test later.

 

[golfinnut]

How does the CG/balancing "line up" with the CG marking that is printed on the ball?

I know it's not printed along the original line where the two spheres meet. Like the way other OEMs stamp their balls on the median line. The way it's supposed to be

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[golfinnut]

So in a nutshell, these balls are very well balanced.  Of the 24 balls, all but one floated to a different high point in the salt bath. The one outlier wasn't off that much - just not as random as the others.  I rolled/spun each ball 5x and marked the high spot.  That mark was always in a different place.  That being the case, the OEM mark can essentially be placed anywhere.  I'd love to know if Maxfli does a balancing test on each ball or is simply controlling the mfg. process such that they have statistical confidence that all will be very well balanced.  I say very well because I think it unlikely "perfectly balanced" is attainable.  Also would like to know if Maxfli does any kind of test that does dictate where the "alignment stripe" is positioned.  I'll share more specifics, pictures and video of the salt test later.

I had the same question. How was the alignment aid stamped? By what process do they decide it goes "there"

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[DrMJG]

First of ally big thanks to MGS and Maxfli for allowing me to test these golf balls. 

Have not played any Maxfli spheres since the 1970s.  Last time I used one for a round the were wound.  They are a clean looking ball and they all have indicated a center balance line. They currently come in a matte white.  

I first tested these items on a practice green with natural surface.  It has lots of breaks, some are quite drastic.

I played nine balls for over 1 hour from 20 yards to just off the green.  I tried from many angles, length of grass near the green, and some things to avoid.  Sand traps varied from somewhat shallow to deep with high lip to dealwith.

For me the problem was speed. Perhaps I have developed a better feel from the Bridgestone e12 that I usually play.  I was finding that the Maxfli often flew well past almost every flag. 

In this aspect.  It may be, for now, operator error and I will re-evaluate the more I play.

Moved further back to play the balls out of sand.  It was soft dry sand and had a good sized lip to deal with to get out. I used my 60º as experience has shown me the 56º is a little too “iffy”.

 The Maxfli were solid, good loft and I was able to drop the ball on line.  However, the difference in bite again came into play.  About 60% of the Bridgestone stopped within 6” of the drop point most of the Maxfli went well beyond, with 7 in total rolling to a 30’ putt or off the green.  As well, it maybe me adjusting my swing to learn to play the new ball.  

In terms of putting and chipping, Found no significant difference between the Tour and the Tour X. 

Edited October 23, 2019 by DrMJG

[DrMJG]

Had time to play 9. Used the Tour X vs my usual Bridgestone. The course is primarily Par 4, with 2 Par 5 and only one

Par 3.  I started this alternate hole round with the Maxfli.

This is where I noticed a solid difference in terms of the Maxfli.  I gained a 7 yard improvement on my drives with good loft and sold direction.  I was often well in position to go for a par or a birdie.

It was primarily with my 4h and 7i which, for today, there was minimal difference.

Again, I had to deal with the speed of the putts with the Tour X and I suspect I added 2 strokes on that side of the card. However, it was much better than yesterday in terms of how I was able to play the ball.

Final score was 40. It ended with a 20 each side. There were 2 fewer putts on the Bridgestone side and no out of bounds with longer drives for Maxfli.  In many ways, it was equal over all.

Plans are for 2 rounds of 18 this week and a round of 9.

Edited October 23, 2019 by DrMJG

[fixyurdivot]

1 hour ago, golfinnut said:

I had the same question. How was the alignment aid stamped? By what process do they decide it goes "there"

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

Like I said, if my salt bath results are indicative of what they produce day in and day out,  it really dosen't matter - at least from the standpoint that, if it wasn't at the "absolute optimum" place on the ball, it would matter and be perceptible in flight and/or roll performance. 

I'm kind of hoping one of our high ranking MGS staff might be able to run a top secret mission, infiltrate the trade secrets vault, and find out the skinny .

[03trdblack]

1 hour ago, JohnSmalls said:

How does the CG/balancing "line up" with the CG marking that is printed on the ball?

I've got a check-go device that's spins balls. I'm going to spin some of them and see if the alignment line matches the line the check-go finds. 

[fixyurdivot]

12 minutes ago, 03trdblack said:

I've got a check-go device that's spins balls. I'm going to spin some of them and see if the alignment line matches the line the check-go finds. 

Awesome!  I was hoping one or more amongst us had one of these devices and would run the test. 

[cksurfdude]

Very keen on reading up on each of the testers' experiences as you go along!

Earlier this year, after the MGS ball test, I'd picked up some of those new MaxFlis (from Dick's, and still at 2 dozen for $50). I tried both the Tour and the X .. tho I did not test them side-by-side .. and also tried both the matte and gloss finishes.

I think I have a preference on ball, and on finish, but am curious to see if a consensus develops amongst the tester group..... Have fun!

[fixyurdivot]

Ok, who's going to step up and cut their balls in half so we can look at and dissect the guts? 

[the_hammer]

I first wanted to thank everyone who made this happen. I am excited to test these golf balls because I have never used them before. Up until this year my golf purchases have been based on brands/advertising more than anything. This is the first year I have started to look at performance more than going with what is said to be the best. Professionally I lead a strategy & analytics team for a major risk management firm as well as being an adjunct professor for both masters level and doctoral programs. I am looking forward to bringing my research, data and strategy skillsets to this testing.

My Game-

I started golfing as a kid, but never really got into it as an adult, other than social settings. About 5 years ago I decided to get back into the game and played 30 times that year, after probably playing less than that in all years previous combined. I had sold my old clubs, so I was really starting from scratch when I went out to buy everything I needed, not really knowing how to best get fitted for the right gear personally. After a few years of about 30 rounds a year I took a few years off due to a lot happening in my personal life. This year was the year to get back into the game, and I currently have just over 60 rounds in. As I’ve been getting back into it, learning more about the mechanics and adjusting my swing throughout the season, my handicap has averaged out to be high, currently 22. As some of the regulars I play with on the weekends say I am actually a 10 handicap on 1/3 of the holes and a 30 on the other 2/3’s. I’m looking forward to getting more consistent as I work on my swing in the off season to get my handicap average lower and lower.

What I look for in a ball is consistency and feel. Since I am not a very consistent player, I need my ball to be, so it takes one variable out of the equation. I am not looking for more yards or a pillow-like soft feel but a ball that feels firm off the clubface and builds confidence with its flight shot after shot. The ball is one thing you can have control of consistency in this game, especially for someone like me who is still getting the mechanics down and getting rid of old habits that feel better but don’t have the accurate follow through. I have played a lot of balls over the years but only this year did I start to focus on one. My wife got me a few dozen ProV1’s this past summer, and it was the first time I had those to play with. I like the feel compared to other, less expensive, balls that I have tried, but I am not sure how much of that is the ball or psychologically knowing it’s a “nicer” ball.

My Plan-

Being that I am a person who focuses on where strategy meets analytics, I approach most everything at the intersection of art and science. I am approaching this ball test the same way. My overall analysis will be based on both things such as feel, appearance, on course performance, and gut reaction, as well as hard numbers. For the hard numbers this is my plan: using my SkyTrak to test 4 categories of balls; shag bag, current ball, Tour, and Tour X. The shag bag is the control group made up of old practice balls, found balls, my mom’s annual Christmas gift of Top Flights (and other low-cost balls). This group will help identify how both the balls I have been playing and the test balls perform. My current ball is the ProV1 and the other two groups are the test balls. Looking at distance, yards off line, and spin rates will provide a good fact base about how the balls perform. Using statistical analysis and outlier detection will help zero in on the performance of the ball and control for me as a variable. Data collection will span most of the testing window to build a large sample size for this analysis. All shots will be taken with my indoor set up and hit with my practice 6 iron. 

Stay tuned for how the testing is progressing and let me know if you have any tips or questions. 

[03trdblack]

1 hour ago, fixyurdivot said:

Ok, who's going to step up and cut their balls in half so we can look at and dissect the guts? 

I plan to for sure.  A review wouldn't be complete without the x-ray view!  I already have some with some battle wear so it's not like I'm cutting up a brand new ball or anything.

[SteddyGolf]

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

 

John I feel a little like the odd man out because my experience seems to be a little different from the other testers. From a distance stand point compared to the Snell and Taylormade TP 5 the Maxfli in both versions were short by 10 to 15 yards with the driver. Long irons were short by 5 to 10 yards. The weird part was the shorter irons with the Maxfli balls were longer by about 5 yards. Pitching, chipping and putting I found difficult because the Maxfli jumped off the face of these clubs. I found distance control while putting very difficult even in wet soft conditions.

 

They fly much lower than most balls I have played almost as low as the AVX

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[jddaigneault]

Let me begin with a huge thank you to MGS and Maxfli for giving me this opportunity.

I am a golf nerd.

I have not always been a huge golfer. I started playing about 10 years ago, but was a 5-10 rounds a year guy. Back when I was younger I dabbled in most sports. As I’ve left my twenties, I find the desire to compete and give everything to a sport has not dwindled.

Enter golf.

I am fortunate to coach high school golf in Southern CA, and am entering year four of that job. Being the insanely competitive person that I am, I am constantly doing research to find ways to help the team (and myself) be more successful. I want to know how every aspect of every club works, what grass types can do to ball flight, how each part of the swing impacts the end result we see on the course…

Like I said. Golf nerd.

Learning about golf balls has been a big part of the process for me. I’m at a point where I’m trying to zero in on the ball I am going to play moving forward. I’m really down to ProV1 (which I really wanted to not be, it's just such a good ball) and Snell MTB. I have yet to try the Srixon, but that is for another day. Due to budget, Snell MTB is the current choice of the two.

What I’m looking for in a ball is one that feels consistent off the tee, holds a line with long irons, and I can spin on the green when I need it. In essence, I want a durable ball that is low spinning with a penetrating trajectory off the tee, but is workable around the green.

A little about my game.

I can hit the ball a mile, but cannot manage to pitch a shot 15 feet. I practice short game incessantly, but it just isn’t where I can get up and down consistently yet. My driver swing speed is up around 120 mph, so I’m definitely a longer hitter. I tend to hit a higher ball, and my miss will typically be a fade. Every once in a while I get a dead pull, but those are becoming less common as I improve. I’m currently sitting around a 14 and trending downwards. Bad days are in the low 90’s of late, good days in the low 80’s. I’ve hit 80 on the nose a few times, but just can’t manage to crack into the 70’s! It is coming though, I can feel it.

The Maxfli Test (and what many may be scrolling straight to, because who cares that much about my story?!)

Given the current trajectory of my game and my desire to find an affordable golf ball that I can stick with, I am thrilled to be able to participate in this study. A golf ball that is designed to go straighter along its center of gravity, with a urethane cover, and the never ending pursuit of comparing to PROV1?! Sign me up!

As I awaited the arrival of the Tour and Tour X balls, I took some time to do some background research. From what I could tell, the idea of the ball is that it is low spinning off the tee, feels soft, has a mid to high trajectory, and gets some spin going on the green. There doesn’t seem to be much data as to whether or not the CG line impacts the trajectory or line of the shot, so I am excited to see how this works out both off the tee and on the putting green. To answer the question as to how they stamp the ball, Maxfli claims they locate the CG and put the stamp there.

When the balls finally arrived, I opened them up like a kid on Christmas. The packaging of the box is sleek and simple, a win in my book. The balls themselves feel great, like a premium ball should. The covers do not seem to show any imperfections, and the ‘CG’ line is a nice touch for alignment. Having my name custom embossed on the ball was an awesome surprise, hopefully no one finds one on the course…

My only gripe so far is the Maxfli logo. To me, it is the only part of the ball that doesn’t look ‘premium’.

Now that I have had the opportunity to play a few rounds with the ball, I am even more excited to dig into the test. You’ll have to check back to see why, but in my small sample size the results have been fascinating. I’ll be sure to track stats as closely as I can, I think they’re going to be quite intriguing.

I want to make sure my review is a comprehensive as possible. To this end, I will do a variety of tests.

Epsom salts have been purchased. Water testing eminent. Will the CG line be accurate for all of the balls? I’ve already seen a few questions pop up about this one!

Par 3 challenge! We have a great par 3 course nearby, so I want to see how the balls respond inside 150. I’ll keep track of launch, spin, and trajectory for every shot.

Obviously, I will have to test out the CG line with the big stick as well. Will it go straighter? Further? I can’t wait to find out!

Love to hear any questions you might have, I will do my best to provide answers!

[jddaigneault]

19 minutes ago, SteddyGolf said:

 

John I feel a little like the odd man out because my experience seems to be a little different from the other testers. From a distance stand point compared to the Snell and Taylormade TP 5 the Maxfli in both versions were short by 10 to 15 yards with the driver. Long irons were short by 5 to 10 yards. The weird part was the shorter irons were longer by about 5 yards. Pitching, chipping and putting I found difficult because the Maxfli jumped off the face of these clubs. I found distance control while putting very difficult even in wet soft conditions.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

I have found similar results so far. Definitely shorter within the long game when compared to the Snell. 

[jddaigneault]

5 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

So in a nutshell, these balls are very well balanced.  Of the 24 balls, all but one floated to a different high point in the salt bath. The one outlier wasn't off that much - just not as random as the others.  I rolled/spun each ball 5x and marked the high spot.  That mark was always in a different place.  That being the case, the OEM mark can essentially be placed anywhere.  I'd love to know if Maxfli does a balancing test on each ball or is simply controlling the mfg. process such that they have statistical confidence that all will be very well balanced.  I say very well because I think it unlikely "perfectly balanced" is attainable.  Also would like to know if Maxfli does any kind of test that does dictate where the "alignment stripe" is positioned.  I'll share more specifics, pictures and video of the salt test later.

I just did my salt test last night, and found the same thing. None were perfectly balanced, always slowly floating to the same spot. One of the balls actually fell on the CG line, but none right on the CG spot (which appears to be Maxfli's claim). All marked up and ready for the course!

[jddaigneault]

6 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

As I mentioned, they seem to be a bit shorter. What I've found most interesting (and am curious to see what the other testers experience has been) is that, especially the Tour X, is SO FIRM! It feels like I'm hitting rocks. 

I went so far as to test impact because everything felt so heavy like I was hitting them thin. Dead center impacts, still felt thin. Needless to say, like many of the other testers, I have developed a preference so far. Definitely not a large enough sample size, but who doesn't want to play MORE golf?!

[fixyurdivot]

8 minutes ago, jddaigneault said:

What I've found most interesting (and am curious to see what the other testers experience has been) is that, especially the Tour X, is SO FIRM! It feels like I'm hitting rocks.

+1 on that.  Definitely feels harder to me as well but I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as hitting a rock.   Then again, I'm not hitting them at 120+ mph .

[revkev]

Welcome to any and all who are interested in learning about the Maxfli Tour and Tour X golf balls. As always it’s an honor to be selected as a tester so a big shout out to Maxfli and MGS for the opportunity.

 

I’ve seen some questions pop up already but I wanted to hit on some basic stuff in this first post. While we were originally selected as groups of six to test the Maxfli Tour or Tour X balls we were actually each sent a customized dozen of both ball types and instructed to pick the one that we felt worked best to review.

 

 

I’m an experienced (read north of 60) low handicap golfer with a driver SS in the mid 90’s. I rely on accuracy, consistency and short game to score. My ball needs to fit into those categories and give me the maximum driver distance possible as well. I always play the same urethane ball throughout the season and do my testing, if I’m considering making a switch, in late October for next season’s ball.

 

As always my ball testing starts on the green so off I went to the local muni around the corner from work for step one.

 

 

Both balls felt great around the green and both had good spin. I had little trouble controlling them although at first the x ball seemed to stop quicker even than my current gamer, the Pro VIx.

 

 

From the around the green session I determined that either ball fit the bill for short game in regards to spin and that their feel was fine - unlike some I’m not big on feel anyway.

 

Next up it’s time to move on to the long game at my home club. More about that and answers to some of your questions later as well as a reveal about which ball I’ve decided to focus on reviewing and why.

 

 

See you out at the Bayou!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[revkev]

As I mentioned, they seem to be a bit shorter. What I've found most interesting (and am curious to see what the other testers experience has been) is that, especially the Tour X, is SO FIRM! It feels like I'm hitting rocks. 

I went so far as to test impact because everything felt so heavy like I was hitting them thin. Dead center impacts, still felt thin. Needless to say, like many of the other testers, I have developed a preference so far. Definitely not a large enough sample size, but who doesn't want to play MORE golf?!

 

Wow - this will show you how feel is subjective. To me the regular Tour “feels” firmer than the Tour X. The Tour X spins better around the green during my times using it. Both balls feel firmer to me than the Pro VIx. However I’ve been using that ball for four years so it’s what I’m used to.

 

I certainly hit the Tour X significantly shorter than the Tour - close to ten yards off the tee, a larger gap than that with my gamer. But according to my Swing Caddy that shouldn’t be the case. My swing speed was around 95 with each ball, ball speed between 130-135 and distance around 230. It could be that the Tour rolls out better as it clearly flies flatter.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[the_hammer]

10 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

So far overall distance is about the same. I do have to say, as I look back over my notes I keep coming back to the ball flight on my wedge shots. I have noticed that there is a bit more POP from the ball. It is not that I am getting more distance but I am getting more height. This is key for me on some shots like if I need to get over a bunker. See the shot below.

This is a 435 par 4 with OB left plus bunker at 250 off the tee. With trees up the right side and a bunked on the right at 100 out I tend to find my self short of this green side bunked a lot. The green is elevated enough where a low chip might go into the bunker or run most the way across the green. The extra height I am getting with both balls has been nice. More testing needed but this has been a nice outcome so far. 

[jddaigneault]

38 minutes ago, the_hammer said:

So far overall distance is about the same. I do have to say, as I look back over my notes I keep coming back to the ball flight on my wedge shots. I have noticed that there is a bit more POP from the ball. It is not that I am getting more distance but I am getting more height. This is key for me on some shots like if I need to get over a bunker. See the shot below.

This is a 435 par 4 with OB left plus bunker at 250 off the tee. With trees up the right side and a bunked on the right at 100 out I tend to find my self short of this green side bunked a lot. The green is elevated enough where a low chip might go into the bunker or run most the way across the green. The extra height I am getting with both balls has been nice. More testing needed but this has been a nice outcome so far. 

That fairway looks outstanding. 

[revkev]

How are the distances comparing across your clubs to your previous gamer?  Are you seeing the distance separation that you normally do between woods/irons/wedges?

 Gapping is the same thus far but there is a radical difference in driver distance for me. For me, the Tour is significantly longer than the Tour x, close to 10 yards. The Tour X launches higher but when I get to the balls it’s always shorter of the two.

I’m fortunate that I’m a member of a private club that’s in its shoulder season. That means I can go out, take as many balls as I want and play a few holes with them. After nearly 3 weeks there has never been a time where a Maxfli Tour X has been longer than my gamer and rarely a time that’s it’s past the Tour.

 

I really like the Tour - one of the best feeling balls I’ve ever played off the putter. As an older guy I recall what balata was like - this reminds me a lot of the Ram Tour balata 100’s that I used to swear by (and at.)

 

BTW as an Old School guy the balls that are called “soft” today feel about as much like Balata as a modern McDonalds burger tastes like real meat.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Thanks

 

 

[fixyurdivot]

10 hours ago, revkev said:

For me, the Tour is significantly longer than the Tour x, close to 10 yards. The Tour X launches higher but when I get to the balls it’s always shorter of the two.

This is what I'm seeing as well, the Tour is longer by about 5-7 yards.  I guess that's significant but not having done any ball testing or fitting, honestly don't know what is considered significant?  Playing 2 ball last week in Bozeman I had several holes where both drives were really solid.  In all cases the Tour was the longer ball.  I didn't notice appreciable difference in ball height.  Can't say for certain, but suspect the lower compression (90 vs. 100) is better suited to my high 90's swing speed; perhaps just not compressing the Tour X enough?

Drives on #10. Tour X in the center left (256), Tour over to the far right (262).

Drives on #14. Tour in the center (273), Tour X left side (265).